Slovenia elects Melania Trump's former lawyer as 1st female president

Slovenian President-elect Nataša Pirc Musar.
(Image credit: Luka Dakskobler/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Nataša Pirc Musar, a lawyer and one-time attorney for former first lady Melania Trump, was elected Slovenia's first female president on Sunday, Politico and The Associated Press reported.

Musar won the presidency in a runoff election against conservative Anže Logar, the country's former foreign minister. With nearly all of the votes tabulated, Musar led Logar 54 percent to 46 percent, according to Slovenian media reports obtained by AP.

Musar's election highlights the small European nation's rising liberal bloc. Slovenia's center-left coalition also won a victory in parliamentary elections this past April.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"My first task will be to open a dialogue among all Slovenians," Musar said in a victory speech, per AP. "In the democratic election, Slovenians have shown what kind of a country they want."

Logar conceded the race, and said he hoped Musar "will carry out all the promises" of her campaign.

Musar becomes the first woman to be elected president in Slovenia since the country became independent following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. While the role is mostly ceremonial, the president does nominate a number of top officials.

A well-known attorney and human rights advocate in Slovenia, Musar worked on a number of high-profile cases in the country. However, her most prominent client remains Melania Trump, a native of Slovenia, who hired Musar during her husband's presidency.

In 2016, Musar and Trump filed a lawsuit against a Slovenian magazine for suggesting that she had worked as a high-end escort, BBC News reported. The case was settled out of court.

Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.